The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly T.D. was in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny on Thursday afternoon (6th of April, 2023), where he visited St. Columba’s Hospital and the adjacent construction site of a new Community Nursing Unit.
The HSE entered a public private partnership (PPP) with EquiSisk Community Care Partnership Ltd in December 2022 for the design, build, finance, operation and maintenance of seven Community Nursing Units (including a 95 bed CNU in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny to replace the adjoining St. Columba’s Hospital). The construction period now under way will take two years and following a 25 year period the ownership and responsibility for operation and maintenance will revert to the HSE.
Welcoming Minister Donnelly to St. Columba’s Hospital and the Sisk and Co. construction site for the new Community Nursing Unit, Helen McDaid (Head of Service/Older Persons and Acting Chief Officer, HSE/South East Community Healthcare) said:
“There is a long history of dedicated care for the older person at St. Columba’s Hospital but we are delighted that this will be now set to continue in a state of the art new facility being constructed on an adjacent site.”
“The 95 bed Thomastown Community Nursing Unit will comprise of three households of 25 en suite rooms. This model a person-centred approach which focusses on the quality of life, which supports autonomy and the opportunity to continue to direct residents’ own lives in accordance with their cognitive and physical abilities. There will also be two 10 en suite bedroomed dementia specific residential households. The environment will reflect the comforts of home, with assistance provided as necessary in the performance of everyday tasks. There is provision within the entire compliment for 10 short stay places.”
